Mahershala Ali Just Won His First Oscar And His Speech Will Move You To Tears

The 'Moonlight' star got understandably emotional.

Mahershala Ali came into the Academy Awards as the favorite to take the Best Supporting Actor prize for his incredible role in Moonlight, but that didn’t make his win any less amazing. The actor was understandably emotional when he took the stage to accept the award, his very first Oscar.

Ali first thanked the teachers throughout his life who introduced him to the world of acting. “I want to thank my teachers, my professors,” he said. “One thing that they consistently told me is that … it wasn’t about you, it’s not about you, it’s about these characters. You’re a servant. You’re in service to these characters.”

He went on to thank the cast and crew of Moonlight and ended by thanking his wife, who had given birth to their first child just days ago. “Lastly I wasn’t to thank my wife who was in the third trimester during award season. We just had a daughter a couple days ago I just want to thank her for being such a soldier through this process and really carrying me through it all.”

It was a touching moment for the actor who has seen a meteoric rise in the last year thanks to his incredible performances. While this is the highest point of Ali’s career so far, it seems to be just the beginning.